Reversible rug display cabinet



May 13, 1952 o. THOR 2,596,291

REVERSIBLE RUG DISPLAY CABINET Filed Nov. 4, 194e 4 sheets-sheet 1 I I frfffffff;

IN VEN TOR.

BY Osa/r 77ml? May 13, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 4, 1946 INVENTOR.

May 13, 1952 Q THOR 2,596,291

REVERSIBLE RUG DISPLAY CABINET Filed Nov. 4, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig 3 IN V EN TOR.

5452 .BY Osc/IR THoR May 13, 1952 f v o. THOR 2,596,291

REVERSIBLE RUG DISPLAY CABINET Filed Nov. 4, 1946 v4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR; BY Osma THaR Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REVERSIBLE RUG DISPLAY CABINET Oscar Thor, Nutley, N. J. Application Notem'ber 4, 1946, seria1No.707,58o

1o claims. (01.2.11-121) This invention relates to display cabinets and particularly cabinets for displaying rugs which are relatively large, and because the prospective purchaser prefers to see the rug in a horizontal position as it would be on the floor, this inven-V tion contemplates a frame adapted to accommodate a plurality of rug trays and means for raising and lowering the trays.

The rug cabinet of this invention is an mprovement over the rug cabinet of my prior Patent Number 2,347,139, dated April 18, 1944, in that means is provided for readily reversing the instrumentalities so that a rug tray may readily be stopped and the mechanism reversed to move the tray in the opposite direction.

Various other improvements in the structural elements and operation will become apparent as the description proceeds.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a rug display cabinet wherein a plurality of trays having rugs thereon may readily be moved one at a time upward to the upper end of the cabinet, and then downward, and in which the direction of travel of the trays may be reversed at any time.

With these and other objects in view the invention embodies a rectangular shaped frame, a plurality of horizontally positioned trays suspended at the four corners in said frame, conveying chains in the corners to which the trays are removably attached, motive means for operating I the chains in opposite directions, and means readily attaching and releasing the trays to and from the chains.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing the rug display cabinet with part broken away showing the operating gears at the upper end thereof.

Figure 2 is a front elevation showing a post at one corner of the cabinet with part broken away illustrating the mechanism therein.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan through one corner of the frame with parts of the frame and also part of one of the trays broken away. i'

Figure 4 is a detail on line 4-4 of vFigure 5 showing a section through one of the tray operating carriages with parts broken away.

Figure 5 is a view showing a side elevation of arm S'I'through pins 38 and 39.

one of the tray holding carriages with parts broken away.

Figure 6 is a detail showing an end view of one of the carriages with parts broken away.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts the rug cabinet of this invention includes a frame l0 having corner posts II and carriages I2.

The improvement of this invention includes means for reversing the mechanism at any point. To accomplish this the carriages I2 are provided with two rollers I3 and I4 positioned to contact lugs l5 on the trays I6 and also stationary lugs I'I at the upper end and lugs I8 at the lower end, wherein the rollers will engage the lugs before the carriage reaches the end of its travel. The roller I3 is rotatably mounted on a link I9 and the roller I4 is mounted on a similar link 20, the link I9 being pivotally mounted on the frame 2| of the carriage through a pin 22, and the link 2i) similarly mounted on a pin 23. The upper end of the link I9 is pivotally attached to an S-shaped lever 24 through a connecting link 25 with pins 26 and 21, and the lower end of the link 20 is connected to the lower end of the lever 24 through a connecting link 28 and pins 29 and 30. The lever 24 is pivotally and slidably mounted on the carriage frame 2| through a shaft 3| and a roller 32 in a slot 33 in the frame.

The operating element, or gear segment 34 is xedly mounted on the shaft 3I and another lever 35 is also xedly mounted on the shaft and the end thereof is connected by a link 36 to an The arm 3l is xedly attached to a pin 40 pivotally mounted in the frame 2l, and on the other end of the pin 40 is an L-shaped lever 4I on the upper end of which are two rollers 42 and 43 which engage and operate the latch 44 pivotally mounted on a bracket 45 extending outward from each corner of the trays, which are indicated by the numeral I6.

A spring 41 is provided in a recess 48 in the lever 35, and positioned around the shaft 3| to frictionally hold the levers to prevent movement thereof further than the positive actuation thereof by the gear segment 34. Compression springs 49 and 53 on studs 5I and 52 are attached through connectors 53 and 54 to the opposite ends of the lever 24 for normally restrain- Y 58 on the other.

" teeth i2 of the rack 7|.

ing the lever so that it may remain in the neutral position as illustrated.

The carriage frame 2i is provided with four hanged rollers 55, and 5S, on one side and 51 and These rollers contact opposite edgesof continuous tracks 59 upon which the carriages travel, and the outer rollers 55 and 56 are spaced further apart than the inner rollers 5l and 58 to facilitate travel thereof around the arcuate'formations at the upper and lower ends of the track. Thecarrages are also provided with extending lugs 60 by which they are pivotally attached to continuous chains 6I traveling over sprockets E2 and 53 on shafts 65 and 65, and the upper shafts 64 at the opposite endsY of the frame are rotated by gears 66 at therespective ends., of. a motor shaft 6l having a motor 68 associated therewith through suitable reduction gears. Thei motor may be controlled by buttons 69 and 10 at a convenient point on the frame whereby they" may be readily activated by an operator to raise or lower the trays as desired. Y

In operation, assuming that the oa'rriagefll" Yis moving upward from the position shown in Figure 2 the upper roller I3 will ride upward along the'row of lugs I5 on thetraysabove, thereby moving the roller and lever 2'4 outward, toward the upper rack 'il so thata'notch innthe end of the segment tdwillymesh with onefof'the Then asthe` carriage continues to travel upward .the to'otlrwillV rotate the segment 3d thereby through the. associated levers causing the L-shaped lever 4| to'move'the rollers l2 and d3 outward from the position shown in Figure 3, wherein a projection Non the latch E4 will moveV into an opening 'I5 in a, supporting angle le, and at thel same timezmove ing a projection Tl on the opposite side ofy the latch outr of an openingY 'i8 inv an arm 'i9 of. the carriage, thereby releasing the; carriage. The lowerroiler Id then contacts' the oppositeV sides of the lugs I5 and moves thelower'endof the lever 2 outward, away'from the rack. 1 Il, thereby releasing the segment" Sd'frorn the rack,1so. that the .carriage isfree to travel upward over the4 ISO upper sprocket and down theother side. In-the Vnormal operation of4 the cabinet two carriages are used, and these chain and track.

When the carriage is moving downward the lower roller Id will ride on the lugs I5 of the areV equally spaced' on the trays below and this will actuate'the lower end Y ofl the lever 2,4 so that thegear segment will` be moved to operative position wherein the notch di) will mesh with teeth 81 ofthe lower YrackLZ; and as the downward movement ofthe carriage continues the segment 34'. will operate'` the L-shaped lever @I which will actuatejthe'l'atch' to release the carriage. The upper roller |31 then rides on the lugs I5' andvactuates the lever` 14 wherein the upper end movesaway from the rack 82 thereby disengagingV the segmentL 341mm. Athe teeth of the rack. The additional'lugs lfllandl',

which are stationary, arerprovided .atthe upper Y and lower ends for latching and unlatching. the

'top tray and the next to the lowest tray. The

bottom tray 46 is stationary.

Lighting elements such as. nuorescent. tubes 83 in brackets 56 may be provided-in the corner sections ll of the frame and these may be mounted in recesses 85' or incorporated therein in any manner. Y

To pick up one of the trays at the lower. part of the cabinet the up button 691 is pressed and the carriages travel around the track` 59 in aV Y required:

counter-clockwise direction, and as a carriageY passes the trays the roller I3 rides oit of the lug I5 of the uppermost tray allowing the spring d to swing the lever 24 so that the segment 3K5 meshes with the teeth 8| of the rack 82 moving the projection TI of the latch #lll through Vthe opening 18 in the arm 'i9 of the `carriage so that the tray is picked up andV travels upward with the carriage. oi'of the lugs I5 of the adjoining tray the spring 50 will move the lever 24 back, thereby moving the segment 34 out of engagement with the teeth of the rack. The tray may be stopped at any point, and as it reaches the upper trays it is automatically released from; the carriages as hereinbefore described.

`To Vreturn a tray fromthe trays in the upper part of the cabinet the movement is reversed and the down button 'i0 is pressed, and as the #carriage-passesfthe upper trays the roller Iii rides ofi-o. the last lug I5 allowing the spring 53 to swing the lever 24 so that the segment 3e meshes '|8` in the arm 19 of the carriage so that the tray is picked up and travelsv downward with the carriage: Then as the upper roller I3- rides oilV of thelugs" I5 of'- the-*last trayl above the spring @Si willmove' theleverZll back, thereby moving the segment 34-` out ofVV engagement with the Vteeth oi' the rack:

The movement ofthe traymay be stopped at any point, and the direction Vof travel thereof may be reversed at any time` as desired. Y

The tray is always carried inthe central part of the carriage and in-using the two rollers I3 and I4, one above and one below the tray it is possible'toactuate the mechanism for latching or unlatching th'e'tray before the tray reaches thel end-of'its`V travel, regardless of the'direction of travel.V

In thefcabinet of this design only one operatingn rack I5`l is required at each end, `whereas in the cabinet of my patent two such racks were The instrumentalities are now so arranged thatv theA operating gear segment 3ft is only in engagement with the rack long enough tov latchor unlatch the tray,V as after the tray is Ylatchedior`v unlatched it is movedout of engagementtherewith. The latches 4d havea rotating movement in a vertical plane thereby allowing for thervertical movement ofthe tray in-latchingvandunlatching. The guiderollers of the carriagetravelaround-a single bar 59, and with this des-ign.. itis possible. to use. comparatively small sprockets. at each end, over` which the chain travels. Y Y Y The frame may be of any type or design, and the# motor' may be located at any point, or as many motors as may be'rdesired may be used. Y

Itwill be.v understood that other changes may Vbe made in the design and construction without Vdepartingirom the spirit of the invention. Y

. Having thusfully'described theinvention what is claimed asi new andi desired to be protected by Letters'Patent, is: Y

l. In" a rug; displayA cabinet, the Vcombination which comprises aI rectangular shaped :frame having four` substantially hollow corner posts connectedL at the` upper ends thereofV by hollow side and endv beams. aplurality of rug carrying trays positionedfor vertically, sliding travel within. thefcabineulugs positioned on the sides oi the trays and spaced.l from the ends'thereof, upwardly extended T-shaped` latches pivotally Then as'the lower roller It rides mounted on the sides of the trays and also spaced from the ends thereof, said latches providing carrying elements of the trays, transversely disposed shafts journaled in the end beams connecting the upper ends of the posts, upper sprockets mounted on the said shafts and positioned in the said posts, lower sprockets journaled in the lower ends of the posts and positioned below the sprockets in the upper ends of the posts. endless chains positioned in the posts and trained over said sprockets, a traveling tray actuating carriage mounted on each of said chains and extended inwardly therefrom, a transversely disposed shaft journaled in each of said carriages, a gear segment with tooth receiving notches in the ends mounted on extended ends of said shafts, an S-shaped lever mounted on each of the said shafts, gear racks in the upper and lower ends ol the posts positioned to be engaged by the said gear segments, rollers carried by the carriage positioned to ride on the lugs on the sides or" the trays, resilient means in the carriages for operating said S-shaped levers, means connecting the rollers to the S- shaped levers whereby the resilient means actuates the said S-shaped levers for rotating the gear segments to position the segments to engage and disengage the said gear racks, whereby the said T-shaped latches engage with the carriages for engaging the trays with the chains and also for engaging the trays with fixed retaining elements in the posts, and means rotating the shafts.

2. In a rug display cabinet, the combination which comprises a frame having substantially hollow corner posts, a plurality of horizontally disposed trays positioned in an area defined by said corner posts, said trays having lugs on the sides and spaced from the ends, vertically disposed gear racks positioned in said posts, vertically positioned endless chains mounted in the posts, upwardly extended T-shape latches pivotally mounted on the sides of the trays and also spaced from the ends thereof, said latches providing carrying elements for the trays, continuous bars providing tracks parallel to and spaced from the chains and also positioned in the posts, carriages mounted on the chains, spaced pairs of flanged wheels journaled in the carriages and positioned to travel on the tracks, shafts journaled in the carriages, gear segments having notches in the ends carried by extended ends of the shafts and positioned to engage with the racks in the posts, S-shape levers mounted on the shafts and positioned in the carriages, springs in the carriages positioned to bear against the ends of said S-shape levers, rollers carried by the carriages and positioned to ride against the lugs on the sides of the trays for actuating the S-shape levers and gear segments, and means pivotally mounted on the carriages and operatively connected to said S-shape levers for engaging and disengaging the said T-shape levers of the trays with the carriages upon engagement of the gear segments with thesaid racks positioned in the posts.

3. A traveling carriage comprising a frame having a lug on one side adapted to attach the frame to a chain, said frame having an elongated horizontally disposed slot in the intermediate part thereof, spaced pairs of hanged rollers journaled on the frame and positioned to guide the frame on a track, an L-shaped lever pivotally mounted on said frame, spaced latching rollers carried by said L-shaped lever, a shaft 6 extended through the slot in the intermediate part of the frame, means operatively connecting the said L-shaped lever to the shaft, an S-shape lever xedly mounted on said shaft, rods having springs thereon slidably mounted inthe frame and pivotally connected to the S-shape lever, said springs positioned to urge the ends vof the S-shape lever away from the frame, links pivotally mounted on the frame, positioned on opposite sides of the S-shape lever and shaft, and extended upwardly and downwardly from the intermediate part of the frame,` means connecting the ends of the links to the ends of the S-shape lever, a gear segment having notches in the ends carried by an extended end of said shaft, rollers carried by said links and extended from the frame for engaging iixed elements to actuate the S-shape lever for rotating the gear segment whereby the gear segment `actuates the L-shaped lever for moving the latching rollers. 4. In a rug display cabinet, the combination which comprises a frame having vertically positioned substantially hollow corner posts connected by longitudinally and transversely disposed members, vertically positioned endless chains mounted in each of said corner posts, continuous bars mounted in the posts and posi tioned in planes parallel to and spaced from the chains, carriages carried by the chains` and extended therefrom, spaced pairs of hanged wheels journaled on the carriages and positioned to travel on opposite edges of said continuous bars, transversely positioned shafts journaled in the carriages, gear segments having gear teeth receiving notches in the ends mounted on said shafts, gear racks in the posts and positioned to be engaged by said gear segments, substantially S-shaped levers also mounted on said shafts and adapted to be actuated by said gear segments, a plurality of horizontally disposed trays positioned in an area defined by said corner posts, brackets having lugs on extended ends thereof mounted on the sides of the trays and spaced from the ends thereof, latches pivotally ,mounted on said brackets, a tray supporting angle having spaced openings therein mounted in each cf said corner posts and positioned to coact with said latches for holding the trays in stationary posi tions in the frame, and means actuated by said S-shaped levers of the carriages for moving said' latches into engagement with the carriages for raising and lowering the trays and into engagement with said supporting angles for retaining the trays in stationary positions.

5. A rug display cabinet as described in claim 4, wherein rollers are provided on the sides of the carriages for engaging the lugs on the brackets of the trays to hold the gear segments in spaced relation to the gear racks until the rollers pass over the lugs of the last tray in a plurality of trays.

6. A rug display cabinet as described :in claim 4, wherein springs are provided in the carriages for coacting with the ends of the S-shaped levers to move the levers with a snap movement when the gear segments engage the said racks.

7. A rug display cabinet as described in claim 4, wherein the said latches are T-shaped having stems with arms extended from the upper ends and the arms on one side are positioned to engage the spaced openings of the supporting angles with the arms on the opposite sides positioned to engage parts of the carriages for moving the trays.

8. A rug display cabinet as described in claim 4,

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wherein springs are provided on the transversely positioned shafts ofi the carriages to prevent 11otation` ofthe shaftsuexceptewhen rollers of the carriagesaengagelthe,lugs on said-'brackets or the gearfse'gments engage saidgear racks.

9.; A rug display*I cabinet as described in claim 4,

' wherein levers having rollers thereon areV pivotally. mounted on the sides of said carriages and the endsoffthe levers are connected by linksto the S-shaped levers toprovide the said means for actuating.v the S'shaped levers by the lugs of the brackets extended `fromthe trays. Y

10.; A display. cabinet asdescrbed in claim 4, whereinsaid Sshaped1evers are in the form of yokes having open sockets in the centers with forks on; the ends; and saidY open sockets providing spaced' hearings for saidy transverse shafts J'ournaled therein Y Y OSCAR THQR,

Name Date Thor. Apr. 18, 1944 Number s 2,347,139. 

